KURDISTAN ISLAMIC UNION (Yekgirtu): After decades of underground political activity the group was licensed in 1994 under its first leader Salahaddin more

KDP

KURDISTAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY: The KDP was founded by Mustafa Barzani in 1946, and was led by him until his death in 1979. more

PUK

PATRIOTIC UNION OF KURDISTAN: The PUK, which describes itself as a social-democratic party, was founded in 1979 by a group of revolutionary figures more

Yekgrtu

KURDISTAN ISLAMIC UNION (Yekgirtu): After decades of underground political activity the group was licensed in 1994 under its first leader Salahaddin Muhammad Bahaddin. The Islamic Union was founded at the outset of the Kurdish civil war, but its leaders soon pulled away from armed struggle and decided to remain neutral. The party is a moderate group that enjoys close ties with the Muslim Brotherhood in the Middle East. Through its charity and social work in the 1990s, the Islamic Union succeeded in increasing its membership across the Kurdistan Region. It was in two previous KRG’s cabinets, where it held both ministerial and other government posts. However, following the 2009 elections the group joined the opposition and declined offers by the PUK and KDP to join the government. Together with one other Islamic and two secular parties the Islamic Union ran jointly in the 2009 elections, a move that was later deemed a failure by some of its leaders. In last year’s party convention, major divisions surfaced among its leaders. There were arguments on both sides, that the group should become a secular party or purely an Islamic group. This led to the resignation of several senior leaders, among them Hadi Ali, the group’s deputy head. At the same convention, Bahaddin voluntarily relinquished his post as leader. Yekgirtu has 10 seats in the Kurdish parliament and its candidates are fighting their battle in this month’s provincial elections across the Kurdistan Region. After seven months of talks, its leaders reached an agreement with the KDP on their participation in the government of Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani.

KDP

The KDP was founded by Mustafa Barzani in 1946, and was led by him until his death in 1979. He was succeeded by his son Massoud Barzani, who in the 2009 presidential elections won close to 70 percent of the votes and since then has been president of the Kurdistan Region. The same year, the KDP ran on a joint list in the parliamentary polls with its strategic ally, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Together, they won 59 of the 111 seats in parliament, and became ruling partners in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The KDP is a centralized conservative party, but has embraced members with right- and left-wing beliefs. The KDP’s opponents complain that the group has grabbed the main linchpins of power for itself, among them the Kurdistan Region’s presidency, the premiership, the National Security Council, the ministry of natural resources and the department of foreign relations. In the September 21, 2013 elections the KDP won the largest number of votes, securing 38 seats in the Kurdish parliament. In this month’s elections, the KDP’s candidates are vying for the Iraqi parliament and provincial councils in the region’s three main provinces: Erbil, Sulaimani, and Duhok

PUK

PATRIOTIC UNION OF KURDISTAN: The PUK, which describes itself as a social-democratic party, was founded in 1979 by a group of revolutionary figures under the leadership of Jalal Talabani. Initially, the PUK had strong Leftist tendencies, which gradually faded and the group found in itself different political viewpoints. After the Kurdish civil war in the early 1990s the PUK and KDP reconciled and signed a Strategic Agreement in 2007. They ran jointly the 2009 legislative elections in which the PUK faced a major crisis after a group of its veteran leaders split and founded the Change Movement (Gorran) under Nawshiran Mustafa. As a result, the PUK lost many votes in its stronghold of Sulaimani, but its alliance with the KDP saved the day. Gorran won 25 seats in the elections, only four less than the PUK’s own 29. Consequently, PUK deputy secretary-general Barham Salih was appointed prime minister for a two-year term. This is the second election the PUK faces without its leader, Jalal Talabani, who is recovering at a German hospital from a stroke he suffered in December 2012. PUK insiders believe that Talabani’s condition and a recent video footage showing him cast his ballot in Berlin may draw sympathy votes for the PUK at the polls. In the September elections the PUK won 18 seats in the Kurdish parliament and the party is in negotiations with the KDP over participation in the new KRG cabinet.

Gorran

THE CHANGE MOVEMENT: Otherwise known as Gorran, it was founded by Nawshirwan Mustafa in 2009, after he broke away from the PUK. more

Komall

ISLAMIC LEAGUE: Otherwise known as Komal, it was founded by Ali Bapir and a group of senior leaders who broke away from the Islamic Movement of more

THE CHANGE MOVEMENT: Otherwise known as Gorran, it was founded by Nawshirwan Mustafa in 2009, after he broke away from the PUK. In the parliamentary polls shortly after it was formed, the novice party won an unexpected 25 seats – uncomfortably close to the PUK’s own 29 places. Soon after, Gorran became the first opposition party in Kurdistan. With its strong criticism of the ruling PUK and KDP, Gorran succeeded in rallying a large section of Kurdistan’s population with its political agenda and calls for change. During their four-year term, Gorran MPs opposed the coalition government of the PUK and KDP, accusing both of corruption. Since the September elections however, in which the movement 24 seats, things its harsh anti-government tone has changed. Earlier this month Gorran leaders signed an agreement with the KDP to form a coalition government. The agreement granted Gorran several ministries, including the Ministry of Peshmerga and the post of Parliamentary speaker. Gorran’s candidate for the post of Sulaimani governor is in a neck and neck competition with his PUK rival.

Komall

ISLAMIC LEAGUE: Otherwise known as Komal, it was founded by Ali Bapir and a group of senior leaders who broke away from the Islamic Movement of Kurdistan (IMK) in 2001. From the time of its foundation Komal embraced a large number of extremist elements who did not agree with the IMK. This brought the group under US bombardment in 2003 and Bapir himself was captured and jailed for two years by American troops. In the 2009 elections, Komal’s candidates won four seats in the Kurdistan parliament. But the group decided to boycott the government and opted to join the opposition front led by Gorran. Komal’s internal crisis is seen as a dispute between the group’s young leaders and the older and more radical elements. In Saturday’s elections, Komal is running independently and its leaders may be hoping to outvote the Islamic Union, in order to emerge as Kurdistan’s strongest Islamic party. But this ambition may be difficult to realize because of the Islamic Union’s strong support in Sulaimani and Duhok. Komal leaders have now agreed to join the new government thanks to an understanding they signed with the KDP and Gorran earlier this month.